Nigerian music icon David Adeleke, widely known as Davido, has been summoned by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to respond to serious allegations involving copyright infringement and breach of agreement. The court has given the award-winning artist a 21-day deadline to appear before the bench in Manhattan to address the lawsuit filed against him.

According to legal documents, Davido, along with Sierra Leonean artist Emmerson Amidu Bockarie (professionally known as Emmerson), is being accused of unlawfully using a track titled Work—originally recorded by Nigerian artistes Martins Chukwuka Emmanuel, Abel Great Umaru, Kelvin Ayodele Campbell, and David Ovhioghena Umaru. The plaintiffs allege that Davido and his collaborators repurposed significant elements of Work to create the 2024 soundtrack Strawberry on Ice, without permission or proper credit.

The plaintiffs maintain that they initially shared the demo version of Work with Davido in 2022, believing it could lead to a collaboration. Instead, they claim the track was misappropriated and shared with Emmerson, resulting in the release of a modified version under a new title. Despite eventually reaching a settlement agreement that included a $45,000 payout and shared royalties—40% for composition and 20% for sound recording—Davido allegedly failed to honor the March 24 payment deadline.

With no resolution in sight, the artists filed a formal lawsuit on April 4, seeking $150,000 in damages and a court-ordered transfer of the respective copyright shares. They are also asking for an injunction to prevent any further infringement on their intellectual property.

Davido and his camp have yet to publicly respond to the claims, while representatives of Wynn Records, the label involved in publishing and distributing Strawberry on Ice, have also declined to comment.

This high-profile case puts Davido under legal pressure in the United States, raising important questions around intellectual property respect and accountability in the global music scene.